There were surprisingly few relationship lessons to be gleaned from Secrets of a Good Marriage (Channel 4) – a nevertheless entertaining look at the lives of enduring couples.

Presenter Sharon Horgan met partners who share their lives in unusual ways including a couple who indulged in tantric sex, and a traditional household where the man ruled the roost.

Best known for co-writing and starring in Pulling, the brilliantly cynical BBC Three comedy about dysfunctional relationships, Horgan’s wry observations here were mostly well-judged.

The excruciatingly familiar tantric couple, Kavida and Roland, were a case in point. They locked limbs, rubbed noses and invited Horgan to take part in the ceremonial drinking of “sexy tea” – hot water imbued with the “essence” of Roland. “Will it get me pregnant?” quipped Horgan.

As amusing as Horgan’s delivery was, it also exposed a problem with this documentary: that the couples were framed as figures of fun rather than people to learn lessons from. However, there was a serious point to be made in Horgan’s refusal to endorse the unequal relationship of Steven and Shelly. After their marriage reached breaking point, Steven decided the only way forward was “the elimination of feminism”.

Extraordinarily, Shelly acquiesced, and together they came up with three rules for women in relationships: stop thinking and start feeling, express how you feel in a calm and non-judgmental way, and stop talking.

When Horgan confronted him, exposing him as unapologetically sexist, he turned to the animal kingdom, using a pride of lions to explain to her that men and women are not equals and should not be treated as such. “We are animals,” he protested lamely.